Beetlejuice Return of the Living
by Number Ten
Summary: When Lydia Marshall (circ. Deetz) moves back to her old house with her three children, in hopes of giving them a quieter home while their father/husband is overseas in the navy. Barbara and Adam Maitland still reside in the house and are thrilled to have Lydia back as well as her children. However, when her husband is presumed dead and out of desperation, Lydia summons Beetlejuice.


Chapter 1: Moving Forward

"Turn left on Willow Road," the GPS on the dashboard orders.

The dark-haired mother turns the car according to the machine's directions. She gazes forward at the scenic town. Feelings of nostalgia rise inside of her as the car drives through the small town of Winter River, Connecticut; a place she didn't initially enjoy but learned to love over time. It was a retreat and a haven from the craziness of New York in the 1980s and the border-line insanity of her then-eccentric stepmother Delia. The town had a great impact on the whole family and made everything seem a little simpler for Lydia Marshall.

Now she was hoping to expose her own children to its beauty, after all, they deserved it after everything the family had been through.

Some things in the town had changed since Lydia had last been here, a few new buildings had been erected, a couple fast food joints, and some new houses, but other than that, it had remained practically untouched by progress and time. A small hardware store bearing a name she remembered fondly had now been shut down and a plan had been forming in the woman's mind ever since they left Chicago. Even her old school was still open, although now it was a school for all genders and not just girls. She now hoped to middle daughter there, while she sorted out high school for her eldest. And fortunately, the house would not be empty as her youngest was not even a year old yet, meaning she wouldn't be alone, aside from two others.

Lydia gazes in the rear-view mirror, her two youngest had fallen asleep sandwiched between all the various books, toys, and stuffed animals meant to keep them pleased during the long car ride from Chicago. She then turns to see her eldest, sitting next to her, looking begrudgingly out at the scenery. Her headphones were stuck in her ears and she hardly said anything since they'd left that morning.

The mother could feel the resentment radiating from her teenaged daughter, it was clear that she didn't want to move at all, and Lydia could not blame her, but they never really had a choice in the matter due to her husband's line of work.

Sergeant Alexander Marshall was actively serving in the U.S. Navy and worked hard to provide for his wife and children. Unfortunately, that work sent the family all over the country, moving from base to base and it seemed the eldest suffered the most. The two youngest did not understand the desire to make friends or have a social life; they both had plenty of time, but Luna Emily Marshall was entering her second year of high school and due to the relocating for her father's work, she had not had one permanent or best friend since starting school.

Fortunately, Lydia hoped to change that. They would not be moving for a long time, at least that was the plan. While Alexander was overseas for a six-month leave, the family would stay in one place and he would join his family when duty was over. Despite being sad about her husband's departure from the country, the wife and mother decided to make the best of it and move from Chicago into her childhood home. Her parents did not mind at all and they were pleased that someone would be there to care for the place.

"There it is," Lydia says aloud, as they turn, the car beginning to climb the hill towards the still towering Victorian-style home. Absolutely nothing had changed in the years since she'd moved out and it pleased her immensely. Like a photograph capturing a moment in time, the house overlooked the town, prevented from changing at all. Whether Luna heard this comment or not, the teenager could not look at anything but the old place and did not deny how big it was. It was certainly better than their apartment in Chicago and this likely meant that everyone would get their own room. She readjusts her earphones and just keeps looking at the window in a sullen mood.

Lydia pulls the family car up on the hill and parks near the white two-doored garage. She knew wouldn't be able to park in there, probably still filled with her stepmother's sculpture and art supplies. They'd worry about that soon enough. The mother turns to see Stella and Charlie still fast asleep in the back.

"Well… we're here," she announces.

Luna groans and rolls her eyes before getting out of the vehicle. She stretches out and must crane her neck to see the top of the gothic-looking house. The undesirable white paint reflects the afternoon light, causing the girl to squint. Despite its massive size, there was something about the place that was eerie. Her stomach turned a few times with anxiety. This house looked like it was straight out of a horror movie. And what made it even worse was that it was basically in the middle of nowhere, meaning that it would still be hard to make friends.

"Luna, can you grab Charlie out of his car seat?" Lydia asks as she attempts to wake Stella Barbara Marshall.

Luna rolls her eyes. "Had to name the baby a normal name," she mutters before going in to unbuckle her brother Charlie Adam Marshall. Why couldn't her name have been normal? Like Madison or Ella, anything but Luna. Or better yet, let the girl use her middle name because it was normal. Her mother had explained to her eldest child many times that her middle name came from the biological grandmother she never got to meet. The name "Luna" came after her mother had done a series of photos for a book that involved Astronomy and Mythology while pregnant and she loved the name so much that it stuck. Lydia also explained that she loved the idea that the moon gave light to a world that was captured in darkness, a rather lame poetic reason for alienating her eldest daughter even further. The title had not been kind to the teen through the years and she couldn't wait to turn eighteen so she could legally change her name.

Luna lifts a still sleeping Charlie into her arms and lets him sleep on her shoulder. At only nine-months, Charlie was big for his age and looked exactly like his father, except for the dark hazel eyes inherited from his mother. He was a happy little tyke, as most babies were and he was never afraid to get into trouble or make messes, much to his mother's chagrin.

Meanwhile, Luna inherited her mother's darker looking hair and her father's blue eyes and was also short like her mother.

Lydia finally coaxes her middle child Stella to wake up. The five-year-old girl was the one who stood out the most, she had her grandfather's strawberry-blond hair and blue eyes to match. She smiles when she sees her mommy reaching for her.

"Are we here Mommy?" she asks.

"We are my little star,"

Stella's smile could light up a room and her cheerful demeanour was often contagious. Lydia was pleased that her youngest daughter was happy-go-lucky and did not have a sad bone in her body, something her mother attempted to keep for as long as possible. The little child reaches and grabs her doll and favourite stuffed unicorn before allowing her mother to help her out.

She runs eagerly towards the house without a second thought.

"STELLA BARBARA!" Lydia calls out in frustration. Stella was also extremely energetic and difficult to catch. The smaller of the daughters climb the stairs of the front porch. "Luna go grab your sister!"

Sighing heavily and rolling her eyes, Luna grabs Charlie's favourite blanket from his car seat and then rushes to catch her sister.

She climbs the creaky steps to find Stella trying to open the door.

"Take a chill pill Stells," Luna says. "Mom's the only one with the keys."

Lydia soon catches up with her family and pulls the keys from her purse. She unlocks the red front door and her five-year-old goes running inside.

The older women take their time, Luna's face falling instantly at the sight.

Not only did the place look old on the outside, but it was even older on the inside. Ugly floral wallpaper from the 1940s covers the walls and the creaky wooden floorboards creak with every step. The stairs do not look safe at all as they wind to the upper floors. A lot of the furniture is covered in white sheets to keep dust off and there are cobwebs everywhere. Several spiders had made their homes in between the rails of the ancient stairs. She adjusts her brother in her arms when the smell hits her nose.

"God," Luna grimaces. "This place smells like it hasn't been cleaned in years." She gazes at the spiders in the between the rails of the handrails. "I couldn't live here if you paid me."

"Well, fortunately, I'm not paying you," Lydia mutters putting her purse down on the table in the foyer and bringing a duffle bag to the kitchen. "But I could pay you to help me unload the car."

"When do the movers get here?" Luna asks, following her mother.

The place looked the same as it always had, nostalgia again growing inside of the mother. Her parents' home truly was untouched and was prepared to accept a new family and new memories. She then goes out of the garage to find the fuse box.

"I think it's on Thursday."

"So, what are we doing for beds?"

"We have the playpen for Charlie and the sleeping bags for the rest of us," Lydia answers, opening the greasy old-fashioned box. She tries to remember how her father activated the power. While the place would remain the same, a few things would have to be repaired, she just hoped the other residents could understand that.

Stella's excited footsteps pound the upstairs hall as she runs from room to room, exploring everywhere she could find. She stops for a moment, seeing a staircase that leads up to another white door. It seems very high, but the darkness causes her to take a step back, stopping her excitement in its tracks. She hates the dark and stares for a long time at the white door, almost hypnotized by it. There are several creaks and groans heard behind it and Stella immediately races away.

Suddenly, the lights flicker and spring to life, spooking the child enough to go and find her family. The whole place seems to feel different now that the fridge it and other appliances are now up and running.

"I knew I'd remember how to do that," the mother says with pride.

Luna wants to put her brother down somewhere to rest her arms, but that is impossible due to the dirt and grime.

"This place is disgusting," the teen says.

"Well, your grandparents don't exactly stay here anymore to upkeep it," Lydia responds, opening the duffle bag. However, in the back of her mind, she wonders why the place wasn't better kept, after all, "they" usually care about how the house looked.

"Yeah, they're still trying to get that Hawaiian resort off the ground."

"Whatever keeps them happy," is the response.

"Mommy there are so many rooms!" Stella squeals, coming into the kitchen. "I want the biggest room in the house!"

"We'll see," Lydia says, patting her daughter's head. "But at least there's more than one bathroom, how does that sound to you Luna?"

The teen shrugs and tries to act cool at the prospect of further privacy. She shifts Charlie to her opposite arms as her mother goes towards the front door, preparing to unpack the car.

"Let's go, Stella, we have to get your stuff."

The five-year-old follows without question and leaves her siblings alone in the house.

Luna walks to the front room again and stares upwards on the second floor. She stops and listens carefully. Her heart races when there are a series of creaks and groans that were not made by her or her family.

"This place is creepy," she mutters to her sleeping brother. "A regular hang out for the dead."

…

After unpacking the care and a simple meal of Cantonese take-out on the floor in the living room, Lydia puts her son down in his playpen and has her daughters curl up in their sleeping bags. Luna continues to listen to music through her headphones, ignoring her mother and attempting to think about something other than the resentment and hatred of having to move again. She stares up at the ceiling but does watch as her mother heads upstairs.

Luna turns over in her sleeping bag and tries to go to sleep, removing her headphones and hearing her mother wandering around upstairs. She buries her head in the sleeping bag to drown out the noises.

Meanwhile, the mother travels a familiar route towards a set of stairs that looked as though they had not been used very often. She grabs the key from under a small dusty trinket against one of the walls. When she reaches the door, she stops, twirling the key in her hand and then knocking.

"Day-o…" Lydia says quietly.

A voice on the opposite side responds.

"Day-o…"

A smile forms on her face.

_A/N: All rights go to Tim Burton for his characters and setting and to Warner Bros., Any characters created by me belong to me. Please follow and review._


End file.
